Transmission shifters are conventionally utilized to provide manual actuation for shifting a transmission between different gears to control the driving torque delivered from a vehicle engine to the wheels. These shifters normally include a housing mounted on the transmission and an operating member mounted by the housing for movement that controls the transmission shifting. A lower end of the operating member projects downwardly from the housing to actuate the transmission shifting, while an upper end projects upwardly from the housing to support a shift lever whose movement is normally considered to define the pattern of shifting since such movement is that which is familiar to the vehicle operator. A single spring normally positions the operating member in a neutral position such that lateral movement with respect to the shifter housing and vehicle to effect shifting requires the same force in both directions from the neutral position.